There are a few characters within H.G. Well's The War of the Worlds. The focus is on the narrator, who is never named, and who travels through London during an invasion by Martians. He meets up with his wife and The Artilleryman. During their escape out of London, they meet up with his brother.

Later on, as their attempt fails, the narrator is trapped with an insane Curate (a clergyman) who is convinced the martians are a satanic manifestation.

The War of the Worlds is narrated by an unnamed man, usually considered to be a pastiche of H.G. Wells himself. The Narrator is very cool and collected, and able to think logically even in dangerous situations.

The Narrator's Wife is his reason for continuing to survive; she acts as the symbol of his sanity and normalcy, and even when he fears her dead he continues to try and find her. At the end, they find each other alive.

The Narrator's Brother acts as an example of the people trying to escape the city who have not directly seen a Martian. He helps several people escape on a boat, and survives to relate his story to the Narrator.

Ogilvy is an astronomer and the Narrator's friend. He is one of the first people to observe a Martian, and the first to attempt a peaceful negotiation with them; sadly, he is killed for his trouble.

The Curate is a priest whose faith has been shaken by the Martians; he slowly loses his sanity, and endangers the Narrator with his ravings.

The Artilleryman is a soldier with romantic notions of rebuilding humanity. The Narrator believes him to be a possible leader of a Martian Resistance until he realizes that the Artilleryman actually does nothing to attain his goals, preferring to survive alone with his dreams.